If you are a baseball fan, the biggest news in New York is the Yankees are near the top of their standings and Aaron Judge is hitting home runs. In an article by Billy Witz of the New York Times he examines why is Aaron Judge hitting home runs this year as opposed to his last year. Mr. Judge is a big baseball player 6 feet 7 inches, most ballplayers are closer to 6 feet, but that alone is not the reason. In the minor leagues and college baseball ballplayers are drafted they have skills to play baseball, but to stay and lead in the major leagues, the players need to work on their technique. To hit the baseball the strength does not come from the arms, it comes from the hip and legs. The arms help, but brut strength will not be consistent and through a schedule of 162 games, consistency is the name of the game. Mr. Judge worked on his technique during the winter and through video watched the really good hitters – what do they do that I can do? It also helps that Aarone recognizes what is being thrown at him and although he strikes out a fair amount, it is less than he did last year. The adage a base on balls is a good as a hit means you have to have patience at the plate to find the pitch you want. If you watch videos on baseball, there is only a few tenths of a second to do this (or it is hard). One of the methods is to determine each time the batter goes to bat, what are you looking for and what does the pitcher normally do? A good pitcher besides throwing as fast he can is doing the same thing as the batter.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, everyone has skills and a capacity to learn, doing your homework to improve your knowledge is what life is about. Take your time, there is no need to rush in, remember in the marketplace there are lots of people trying to find an edge or try not to play their game. Start with the best companies that will tend to last for 10 years or more and if they pay a dividend so much the better. Individuals can be better than the professionals but generally not for a long time, however understanding how Wall Street works allows you to stay away from the bad pitches.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.